A CARICATURE OF HIMSELF

San Diego
which sports
some of the best
year-around weather
in the lower-48
is a major drawing card
for the homeless



One of the more significantly noticeable characters around town is a fellow named Vince.

Vince is, indeed, a caricature of himself; something out of a “Lord of the Rings” movie.  Short, stooped over, long straggly hair, more than a bit unkempt and often mumbling to himself, he moves forward at a snail’s-pace, and at times has been seen using a walker, which he mostly eschews in favor of his snail’s-pace.

He once moved so slowly across a large intersection in Old Town that the left-hand turn lane I was in could not proceed on our green light, and thus totally screwed up the light-cycle for ten minutes.  The lane registered no new traffic into it, so it would not give us another green.  It was only after I jumped out of my bus and ran forward to inform the driver in front that he would have to go when safe against the light or we would all be there all day.

I learned Vince’s name early on, always welcome him onto the bus, and we usually exchange pleasantries.  He returns to ‘normal’ in our short exchanges, but we never delve into anything of depth.  Treating Vince cordially is not always transferable in his mind.  Saying goodbye upon departure one time, he immediately got into a verbal argument with someone at the bus stop over something completely insignificant.

Vince then resumed his normal mumbling and proceeded to speed off at a snail’s-pace.